National Football League

Lloyd's film watching impresses 49ers teammates

Published Jul. 30, 2014 8:11 p.m. ET

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) San Francisco wide receiver Anquan Boldin laughs - a big, hearty guffaw - and shakes his head.

When asked about Brandon Lloyd, Boldin said no one could accurately mimic what the once and present 49ers receiver does while watching film.

Lloyd's unique approach to watching film has made an impression on his new teammates.

Lloyd, who sat out last season after 11 years in NFL, imitates ways to run his routes even while watching film.

Sometimes he'll stand up to mime moves, all the while talking to myself.

''He's entertaining in that regard,'' Boldin said Wednesday. ''You see him go through the rep in the media room. He is animated.''

Boldin, a 12-year veteran in the league, said he's never seen anything like it.

''When he sees himself on film with a defensive back in front of him, he's acting it out,'' said Boldin, who caught 85 passes for 1,179 yards last year.

''On the field he doesn't look like he took a year off. You can see how smooth he is, how he strides and how he makes his cuts.''

Lloyd, who began his career with the 49ers in 2003, has not only been entertaining, he's set a good example for the rest of the receivers in his production through the first week of training camp.

He's been the most productive of a deep group of wide receivers that also includes veterans Stevie Johnson, Michael Crabtree, Kassim Osgood, David Reed and Jon Baldwin.

''The thing about being that deep and having so much talent, no one is allowed to take a day off,'' Boldin said. ''We have to come out and keep competing.''

San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh was surprised and excited when he witnessed Lloyd's routine for the first time.

''The first thing I thought was `Whoa do I like that!'' he said. ''Then I thought, `why didn't I do that?' It's one of the neatest things I've ever seen. It makes me giddy to watch him do it. It's awesome.''

Harbaugh, who spent 14 years as an NFL quarterback before entering the coaching profession, said he's never seen anything like it as well.

''He has that full speed mentality and is 100 percent engaged in meetings,'' Harbaugh said. ''We have made friends almost right off the bat. He's the kind of guy I can connect with.''

Harbaugh also likes the way he's been practicing.

''He does not show signs of, I guess it's rust,'' he said. ''He looks young and spry.''

NOTES: Harbaugh said there's no timetable on the return of RB LaMichael James, who suffered a dislocated left elbow during Sunday's practice. ''He's had the injury before,'' Harbaugh said. ''I'm hopeful, so I'm going with LaMichael's estimation.'' James expects to be back in time for the regular season. . The 49ers remembered Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh with photo tribute on Twitter on the seventh anniversary of his passing. ... With James and RB Kendall Hunter out, the 49ers are looking to sign another running back, though Harbaugh thinks veteran Frank Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde are more than capable of handling the bulk of the running game. ''Past performance often predicts future success,'' Harbaugh said of Gore. ''He's been one of the top running backs in the NFL. He studies football and understands football. He gets it. Carlos Hyde gets football similar to Frank Gore. It's natural for him.'' ... LB Aldon Smith was not in camp Wednesday. ''He's going through a process,'' Harbaugh said. Smith was scheduled to meet with Los Angeles authorities regarding his alleged role in making a bomb threat to the LAX airport and he was also scheduled to meet with Roger Goodell about a possible suspension.

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